Vampire crabs, so named because of their glowing yellow eyes, have become popular as pets, but the origin of some of these spooky-looking crustaceans has been cloaked in mystery.

Until now.

Now researchers have traced the freshwater crabs back to their wild source in Southeast Asia—and report that the two most sought-after species are new to science.

The newly described species, Geosesarma dennerle and Geosesarma hagen, were found in separate river valleys on the Indonesian island of Java (map).

"These crabs are kind of special because they've been around in the pet trade for ten years, but no one knew where they come from," said study co-author and professional aquarist Christian Lukhaup of Waiblingen, Germany.

Scientists have identified other vampire